


October nights

by Morethancupcake



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baker Castiel (Supernatural), Cook Benny Lafitte, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious, Pining, mention of Benny/OFC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 21:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12350949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morethancupcake/pseuds/Morethancupcake
Summary: "Benny Lafitte is a simple man, and he's rarely wrong about the world around him. And then there's Castiel. Castiel is an enigma, Castiel, with his eyes searching his, his designer clothes, tired and mended, his room perfect but almost empty.Something is wrong with Castiel Novak, something he cannot pinpoint, something that makes him wary."





	October nights

**Author's Note:**

> This work was commissioned a few weeks ago. I hope I gave the wonderful prompt justice. Thank you again for your trust.
> 
> For those of you who've been followers of mine for a while, Castiel and Benny almost became a thing when I was writing the first draft of "Sprout". I was very happy to finally give them a happy ending.

Benny considers himself a good judge of character.

Maybe it comes from growing up in a restaurant, and watching his parents deal with the people coming for food and warmth. 

Maybe it's the years after, on the road, trying to fend for himself.

He isn't sure, he never stopped to think too closely, but he knows how to read people, and the thing is, he's rarely wrong.

He knows, the first time he brushes a lock of hair out of Andrea's eyes and she smiles at him, soft and sweet, that she's going to break his heart and leave him hollow.

He knows the first time Dean laughs, head tilted back, eyes full of joy, that's he's going to be proud to call this guy his friend.

He knows, and he follows his heart. He kisses Andrea, and he follows Dean leading him to adventures.

Benny Lafitte is a simple man, and he's rarely wrong about the world around him.

 

And then there's Castiel.

 

Castiel is an enigma, Castiel, with his eyes searching his, his designer clothes, tired and mended, his room perfect but almost empty.

Something is wrong with Castiel Novak, something he cannot pinpoint, something that makes him wary.

They're at each other's throat in less than a minute, and Benny knows, he knows he'll hate him for the rest of his life.

 

It's not the first time he's wrong, but it's the first time it takes him so long to see it.

Dean and Castiel's friendship doesn't make sense.

Dean and Benny, yes, it's almost obvious. They share the same jokes, they like the same things. Dean is the proverbial best friend he always wanted, someone to talk to when things get rough, someone who gets the bad memories, the heartbreaks, the time when he just wanted to burn everything down because it was too much.

Dean and Castiel are nothing alike.

Castiel is silent, always. Not that he's stupid, no, Benny knows better than that, he notices way before Dean mentions it, the way the blue eyes are studying everything, taking notes, judging. The bastard is too smart for his own good, and it doesn't help him blending in.

Castiel doesn't like the noise, he doesn't care about the bars, and the girls throwing themselves at him.

Benny doesn't get it, he doesn't get why a city boy would bury himself in their stupid town, he doesn't get it, but the only time he mentions it, Dean tells him to let it go.

“Cas... Cas lost a lot.” Dean shrugs, and finishes his beer, and Benny senses there's a story here, something painful, and he feels bad for the few remarks he carelessly threw at Dean's roommate over the months. “But he never stopped being my brother, he never stopped being family. So please, be gentle, that's all I'm asking.”

 

The first time Benny realizes he was completely wrong, he feels like an intruder, witnessing something private, something he's not supposed to see.

They're not rich, far from it. He thankfully makes enough to keep a place for himself, and to indulge a little, but things aren't great, not really.

He knows they're a little harsher for Dean, between his hours at Cain's and his job at the bar, but he makes enough for himself and to help Sam a little, so yeah.

He never wondered about Castiel. Mostly because he didn't care, he has to admit, but he never really took time to think about him more than in passing. He knows, because they are close in a way, that Castiel splits his time between a job in retail, another cleaning offices, and his hours training at the bakery. He joked, even, a little mean, he remembers, something stupid about being a gay cliché.

He stands in front of the tiny kitchen, the door open just enough for him to see. 

Castiel eats slowly, the painfully slow Benny remembers from the road, starving but not having enough. 

The smell brings back so many memories, and he doesn't need to spot the box on the counter to know the liquid in the mug is bouillon from a cube. Castiel grabs another piece of something, stale bread from the bakery, his mind supplies, and dips it in the broth before eating it. 

Benny feels like a monster, for all the jokes he made about Castiel's faded designer jeans, his Italian shoes, tired and carefully taken care of.

Castiel finishes the bread, and grabs his mug, bringing it to his slips with shaking hands.

He has seen enough, and the image of thin tired shoulders follows him for the rest of the week.

 

He doesn't ask Dean. He doesn't, but a lot of small things make sense, suddenly.

Castiel not following them when they hit the bar might not only be his hatred for any music that isn't soft and gentle. Him not following them when they decide to take the Impala to the lake has nothing to do with not liking the outdoor.

Castiel Novak isn't the man Benny believed him to be.

 

It becomes a thing. Benny starts to listen a little more. He pays attention.

“Here.” 

Castiel gives him a puzzled look, but he's apparently too exhausted to muster the anger he usually displays when Benny interacts with him. Benny shakes the greasy bag in front of him, and Castiel grabs him slowly, not trusting him.

“What is it ?”

Benny swallow his usual answer, the sarcasm, the harsh tone. Castiel's cheekbones are even more pronounced, and he smells like cheap soap and black coffee, nothing else.

“A cheeseburger. From work. Ordered it, but I'm not hungry anymore.”

Castiel wants to fight, he sees it, and for a second he thinks he will. But the silent conversation they have over the bag is enough. Dean is busy in the kitchen, making himself a frozen dinner, the smell of cheese permeating everything.

“Thank you.” Castiel holds the bag carefully, and Benny knows he won't eat it in front of them. He's too hungry to pretend, and he avoids his eyes, not knowing what to do.

“You tell me if you like it.”

Castiel goes to his room, the bag safe in his hand, and Benny can't help but wonder how he'll make this into a regular thing.

 

The third time, Castiel blushes and scowls, but he accepts the bag anyway.

“I don't need your charity.” 

Benny almost wants to disagree, to raise his eyebrow and challenge him, but he knows better, he remembers the time when pride was one of the few things left.

“It's not charity.” He sits next to Castiel, and shrugs off his jacket, making himself comfortable. The small living room is nice enough, it's warm, and Castiel looks like he could use some company.

They both pretend to be interested in whatever is on TV, and after a handful of seconds, Castiel opens the bag and carefully unwraps his sandwich. Benny can't help but stare at the way he picks out the pickles, the way he folds the paper, and the way he smile when he takes his first bite.

“No pickles next time, uh ?”

“I like them. Just not in my sandwich.” Castiel's still blushing, and his smile is tentative and soft when Benny snorts in answer.

 

It kind of become their thing.

Whenever Dean's not free, when he's out with Sam, or just busy with his life, Benny crashes on their couch, and they both try to start all over again.

 

“I just thought you had a problem with me being gay.” Castiel sits on the floor, and drinks the awful thing he calls coffee, made from a tin, in the small french press Dean got him for Christmas.

Benny isn't sure what it was, but he feels sorry.

He missed a lot, he thinks, driving away from another night of cheap pizza and bad TV. Castiel is sharp, and extremely funny. He keeps his secrets and doesn't ask about Benny's. They both share a passion for food, and sharing it with others.

Benny wonders why exactly, he decided to deny himself Castiel's friendship for so long.

 

“I'm glad you too became friends.” Sam Winchester looks at Castiel like he's precious, like he's something good. Benny almost feel like he can relate, sometimes. “Dean was worried. I think Cas was sad.”

“Castiel ?” Benny frowns and searches him in the small crowd their New Year's party attracted. He finds him sitting on the floor, watching Dean with soft eyes. 

“You know how they are. Always pretending they don't have a crush on each other. I think you were the first person to hate Cas right off the bat.”

Benny hides his frown into his cup. On the other side of the room, Dean's hand goes to Castiel's shoulder, and it makes him uneasy.

 

“I'm really grateful. For you feeding me. But you don't have to...” Castiel's eyes stay on the floor, studying the faded carpet.

Benny feels like an ass. For his bad mood, and his temper. For the way he threw the last three bags at Castiel, and then left without a word. For the petty things, like the pickles he added on purpose.

“That's not...” He stops, because he isn't sure what he wants to say. He isn't sure why he's so mad, suddenly, avoiding Dean, and making Castiel feel bad in his own home.

“You've been... very generous. I appreciate it.” Castiel sounds exhausted, and sad. “But you don't need to keep doing it. I thought...we were becoming friends. But this isn't working, is it ?”

“You're right, it's not.” He hears himself say. Castiel's face crumples for a second, then he looks resolute.

“Thank you for this one.” He shakes the bag still in his hand. “But I think from now on, you shouldn't be there if Dean isn't home.”

Castiel goes back to his room to eat his cold burger, and Benny feels like a monster.

 

“I guess I just thought you two were becoming friends ?” Dean winks at the girl smiling at him across the bar. “He needs one of those, you know.”

“He's got you.” Something black still burns in his guts when he thinks about it. He isn't sure why, but the image of Dean's hand on Castiel's shoulder hits him so hard he can't breathe, every fucking time.

“Yeah. No.” Dean shakes his head and laughs. It's sad, and bitter. “I can't be what Cas wants. I'm not that good.”

 

Benny doesn't ask, and Dean doesn't offer.

 

The year passes quickly, too quickly for him to stop and think too closely about anything. He meets a pretty thing, with huge brown eyes and blonde locks he can't help but play with. He takes her to see the lake, and he holds her hand when they walk under the tall trees. 

She talks about starting fresh, about the city, and he can't help but smile when she asks about his dreams.

 

Dean smiles, and it doesn't reach his eyes. Benny doesn't want to ask, is too afraid to ask, when he mentions things not being good, between him and Sam, then him and Cas. 

He helps him paint the apartment, too silent, and it feels like a sacrilege to enter Castiel's room, now empty and completely dead.

“I never got to say goodbye to him.” It's stupid, but the only thing he says when Dean comes to him with a cup of coffee. 

“Yeah. Well you can always drive to the bakery, and talk to him.” Dean looks heartbroken, and Benny accepts the coffee cup, remembering days sitting on the floor, sharing greasy burgers.

 

They grow up, he supposes. Sam is the first to leave. Benny is next, but he's sure he's not the last.

They all promise to write, and to keep in touch.

Benny knows they won't, he knows, when he starts to drive away, that it'll never be the same again.

 

Life in the city isn't bad, per say. It's not good either. The restaurant is a good place, he makes money, more than he needs, it seems, but something is off.

When she looks at him and tells him she's in love, he knows she's lying, and he knows he doesn't really care anymore.

 

He doesn't know what takes him so long, he doesn't know what he was so afraid of, but the first time he opens the door of the small restaurant he rents, just across what used to be Dean and Castiel's place, he knows he made the right choice.

He knows, in the way he knows everything, that he's ready to stay, this time, stay for good.

 

The town isn't much different, but he feels a hundred years old when he walks the little streets, when he waves to the other shop owners, when he greets his first client.

Slowly, people show up with gifts.

The lovely couple from the flower shop arrive with sunflowers, enough to lighten the place and make everyone smile.

Charlie, who still remembers him after all this time, takes care of his website, and brushes away his money, happy to be fed every once in a while instead.

He gets to know them all, to rediscover the little town, to meet the newcomers.

 

Gabriel Novak smiles, and offers him two pies, one pumpkin and one lemon. 

“It's too much.” He tries to protest. “I can't accept that, that's...”

“Consider it a thank you, then.” Benny knows the man isn't here out of politeness. There's an edge to him, something Benny can't exactly place. “You helped my brother when he needed it, and no matter what, I need to thank you for it.”

He feels like an idiot for not making the connection right away.

“Castiel...” 

“He's at the bakery. He doesn't know I'm here. Doesn't need to know I'm here, if you're following.”

Benny wipes the counter to give himself time to process.

“He told me about you. About the food. My brother is not an easy man to take care of. So thank you.”

“I did what ...”

“Don't say anyone. Just... don't.”

 

The bakery is beautiful, warm and inviting, from outside. 

Benny hides behind his scarf, and doesn't dare coming closer.

 

Maybe it's because he's alone is a familiar place. Maybe it's because he remembers watching this restaurant from Dean and Castiel's windows. 

It's easier, to think about Castiel's laugh, to remember their quiet talks in the late afternoon, between shifts. 

It's easier, to remember the dark feeling in his chest, and to see it for what it was.

 

The first time they see each others, really, Benny is in line for a piece of pumpkin pie, and Castiel is there, on the other side of the counter, smiling at a customer proudly carrying his baby on his chest.

It's sweet, it's too sweet. Castiel is pretty, still so pretty even well into adulthood, his lashes too long and his damn blue eyes sparkling when he laughs at the baby's antics.

Benny wonders why it took him all this time to be ready to fall in love.

 

They share the remnant of the leftover pie, sitting on Castiel's rug, in front of a small electric fireplace.

Castiel looks better, the place looks definitely better, warm and inviting.

Benny doesn't need to ask, he guesses the money, the wealthy big brother offering to buy a bakery and to make Castiel partner.

Up close, Castiel's eyes are cobalt blue, and Benny can't help but stare.

 

They move close, closer, until they both share a cup of tea in front of the window, the late October's light making everything a little magical around them.

“I need to go. Soon.” He thinks about the few things he needs to do on his only night off. The laundry, taking care of the books. He's not ready to leave their bubble of warmth to face the rest of the night.

“But you'll come back.” It's not even a question. Castiel smiles, and Benny wishes they would let go of their mugs so he could take his hand, keep him even closer. “You'll come back.”

“I can. If you want.”

Castiel smiles, and brushes his wool covered toes against Benny's.

“I want.”

 

“Good night, Benny.” His voice is even deeper, and Benny smiles, because he knows, he just knows Castiel Novak is going to make him the happiest he could ever be.

“Good night, Castiel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading ! You can find it (and me) on Tumblr !
> 
>  http://iwanttopizzamanyou.tumblr.com/post/166363069794/october-nights
> 
> While I have your attention, please remember to drink enough water, and to stretch a little from time to time. Happy October !


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